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Food Security and Conflict: The Hidden Threat to Global Security

Contributed by Alliance for Peacebuilding, Stimson Center

Posted 7 September 2022

   

Background

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is exacerbating a global food crisis. According to the U.N., 1.7 billion people are at risk of poverty and hunger; the Eurasia Group puts the figure at 1.9 billion. The EU’s von der Leyen accused Russia of “blackmail” and of using “hunger and grain to wield power,” while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned of political danger ahead, telling the World Economic Forum Congress Hall that food insecurity is “a catalyst for social instability and often armed conflicts.” 

Globally, around 660 million people may still face hunger in 2030, in part due to lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on global food security – 30 million more people than in a scenario in which the pandemic had not occurred. Unless bold actions are taken to accelerate progress, especially actions to address major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition and the inequalities affecting the access of millions to food, hunger will not be eradicated by 2030.

Event Details

Against this backdrop and in the run-up to UNGA High-Level Week (19-23 September), Alliance for Peacebuilding and the Stimson Center convened, on Tuesday, September 13th at 10-11.30 am EST, a conversation surfacing key issues surrounding food insecurity as a driver and consequence of conflict, particularly amidst the war in Ukraine. This hybrid event identified solutions governments, the private sector, and the NGO community can deploy to effectively address the current crisis.

Featured Speakers

  • David Alper, USAID
  • Silke Boger, EU OFFICE
  • Elizabeth Hume, Alliance for Peacebuilding
  • Jonathan Papoulidis, Food for the Hungry
  • Richard Ponzio, The Stimson Center

Moderated by

Johanna Mendelson Forman, The Stimson Center

Watch the event recording here!

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